Opinion: Depending on who wins the primary battles for Arizona Senate, the general election could be a rush to the middle. And wouldn't that be different?

If you’re a middle-of-the-road voter – someone neither too far to the left or right of either party – you have big stakes in who wins the primary races for retiring U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake’s seat.

Polls seem to suggest that Democrat U.S. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema and Republican U.S. Rep. Martha McSally are shoe-ins for the November contest.

Which would be great for moderates and independents, because both candidates have records in Congress of working across the aisle to get things done. Already Sinema is positioning herself as a moderate bipartisan, and if McSally was her opponent, she’d most likely play that up, too.

That means the November primary could become a battle royale of who can sing kumbaya the loudest in Congress. And wouldn’t that be different?

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U.S. SENATE: If you want a competitive U.S. Senate race in November between bipartisan moderates, Democrat U.S. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema and Republican U.S. Rep. Martha McSally need to win the August primary. Any other combination of candidates will make the race more lopsided, less competitive – and probably less interesting for Arizona’s 1.2 million independent voters. Arizona Republic

GOVERNOR, REPUBLICANS: An historic teacher strike in April made education the big issue. Gov. Doug Ducey argues he raised teacher pay with Prop. 123 and his '20 (percent) by 2020' pay hike. Challenger Ken Bennett says the governor broke the budget with that scheme and is now using gimmicks to balance it. Bennett is late to the game and unseemly in his macabre criticism of John and Cindy McCain. Ducey, a cautious technocrat, has steadied the state’s fiscal ship. Arizona’s economy and jobs are on the upswing. And he has earned the support of GOP primary voters. The Republic

GOVERNOR, DEMOCRATS: Three strong candidates want to run against Doug Ducey in the fall. The best is David Garcia, who has built his campaign on public-school investment and his own sizable background as an educator. Steve Farley is a state senator and artist who reflects the more centrist tones of establishment Democrats. He would improve schools by ending corporate tax loopholes, not raising taxes. And Kelly Fryer, a YWCA CEO, is a take-no-prisoners leftist who would improve district schools and make charter schools 'rare.' Brian Munoz/The Republic

SECRETARY OF STATE: This office shouldn’t generate headlines, but it has under Michele Reagan. She ran on a platform of political campaign transparency and innovation and on both counts, her efforts have been uneven. More dramatically, there were mistakes in carrying out elections - some of them major, others overblown. Reagan has owned them and has made strides to bring the office into the 21st century. The progress is respectable enough at least to qualify her for the general election. Arizona Republic

EDUCATION SUPERINTENDENT: The office requires a strong administrator – and deserves someone who can effectively advocate for district and charter schools. Republican Jonathan Gelbart (not GOP incumbent Diane Douglas) and Democrat David Schapira are best prepared to do both. And - bonus! - they'd focus the debate leading up to the general election on ideas, not ideology. Arizona Republic

CORPORATION COMMISSION: Almost every candidate in this race talks about the need to infuse the office with integrity - specifically, changing the image that regulators aren’t in the back pockets of powerful utilities like APS. What separates the 5 Republicans and 3 Democrats isn’t so much their approach to the job than their background. On the GOP side, incumbent Justin Olson is a solid choice (but not incumbent Tom Forese). Former commissioners Bill Mundell and Sandra Kennedy are the best of the Democrats. Tom Tingle/The Republic

TREASURER, REPUBLICAN: This office manages an investment portfolio of about $15 billion and makes sure funds are available to pay the bills - a job that demands accuracy and a steady hand. Political novice Jo Ann Sabbagh links herself to Donald Trump and aims sharp attacks at her opponent, former state lawmaker Kimberly Yee. She also gets facts wrong. Yee has a reputation as a hard-working lawmaker who was willing to push back against political orthodoxy in the public’s interest. The Republic

CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 6: This district may be a Republican stronghold. But the House Ethics Committee is investigating GOP incumbent David Schweikert, and Democrats finally put up three strong candidates to make this a competitive race. Anita Malik's business focus makes her the best to challenge Schweikert in a district that includes Paradise Valley, Scottsdale, Cave Creek and northwest Phoenix. Arizona Republic

CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 9: If Republicans want to flip the seat vacated by Democrat Kyrsten Sinema, Steve Ferrara has the best chance of doing it. This district, which includes parts of Tempe, Mesa, Chandler and Phoenix, is equally divided among Republicans, Democrats and independents and needs someone who can reach across the aisle to get things done. While Ferrara may not be the most charismatic candidate, he is the most likely to work with political opponents. Handout

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It’s possible the polls are wrong, that political activist Deedra Abboud’s progressive agenda could catch fire with Democrats or that a slew of conservative voters will show up en masse to elect one of McSally’s opponents.

In short, the outcome’s not in the bag, even if it looks like it might be. And that’s why you need to make an informed decision in the primary.